The City of Ember

In an attempt to save the human race, scientists prepared and built an underground city called Ember. They sent people to go live in the city, and establish its grounds. Along with the city, they gave instructions on how to return above ground 200 years later, once all the turmoil of the world had ended. The current citizens of Ember lost the instructions, and therefore were oblivious to the world above.

This story is about Lina, a young citizen of Ember.  She lives with her grandmother and her younger sister, Poppy. One day, she comes across a strange case, containing mysterious instructions. But her little sister chews them up when she is away, so she has to try to piece them back together. They turn out to be the lost instructions on how to get out of Ember! Lina and her new friend, Doon, try to decipher what the instructions mean. They explore the pipeworks, and search for the exit. Eventually, they translate the instructions, and their journey out of Ember begins.

Author, Jeanne DuPrau, does a wonderful job of entertaining and hooking the audience in the first book of The City of Ember series. But she's really trying to get us to step back and look at the bigger picture. DuPrau brings up interesting points about our world. Could things ever get so bad that building an underground city could possibly be the best option for survival? Perhaps she's stressing the fact that if we don't change something, our world will get so awful that there is no way for escape.

Personally, I loved The City of Ember. From the first page, to the last sentence, I was entertained by the suspense of the book. This book is written beautifully and it makes me want to read the rest of the series. If you're looking for a suspenseful, amazing book, The City of Ember is a good read. A